A Contest Among Contests

Scriptapalooza founder Mark Andrushko

by Jennifer M. Wood | Published February 3, 2007

The transition from producer to entrepreneur is a logical one-particularly when you've heard one too many complaints that there "are no good scripts." For producer-turned-screenwriting-guru Mark Andrushko, that's exactly what prompted him to co-found the Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition with Genevieve Cibor in 1998. "[I] realized how thirsty my production company and literary contacts were for great writers and material," he states.

Six years later, Scriptapalooza is one of the nation's most recognized screenwriting competitions, with a $10,000 grand prize, support from the WGA and over 50 top production companies and literary representatives (including A Band Apart, The Disney Channel and HBO Films) requesting the work of its writers. From his Hollywood home base, Andrushko spoke with MM about the growth of his company and the ways in which new writers can get their work read-and produced.

Jennifer Wood (MM): Scriptapalooza was founded in 1998 with the mission to "nurture talent and create opportunities," two goals of which you have certainly exceeded. What have been your proudest moments and greatest accomplishments over the past six years?

Mark Andrushko (MA): The main objective was always to create opportunities. And now, we're having our winners, finalists and semifinalists winning Daytime Emmys, getting their scripts optioned and sold to major production companies. One of our TV finalists just started writing for Comedy Central. Also, it's nice to see that studios are approaching us for material to read. Those are highlights, but being recognized and supported by the WGA, West this year is something we are proud of.

MM: Currently, Scriptapalooza is divided into three separate parts: the Screenwriting Competition, the Television Writing Competition and the Coverage Service. Do each of these businesses exist independently, or do you find a lot of crossover between those who are entering the Screenwriting and Television Writing competitions and those taking advantage of your coverage services?

MA: Each division is separate and does exist separately. I'm sure there is some crossover between the competitions, but the truth is we don't compare the databases to see if a writer has submitted for the other divisions.

After we created the Screenwriting Competition, we researched the television writing competitions that were available. We also contacted literary representatives and production companies to see if there was an interest in reading the winners' [scripts]. After determining that there was an interest from the industry, we developed a competition to a writer's strengths, which is why each television competition has three categories: pilot, existing sitcom and existing drama.

The coverage service department was developed years later, largely due to the fact that we were referring writers to other companies when they contacted us to do coverage on a script. The service is for a writer to strengthen their script. We don't market the script afterwards or attach ourselves to their script; it is used as a tool, by the writer, to gauge industry response before they start showing it around. The script isn't tagged or tracked-it is literally for a writer to improve their existing script.

MM: Are there other areas and/or business ventures you're looking to tackle in the future?

MA: At this time, me and my partner, Genevieve Cibor, are giving our fullest focus and dedication to our existing divisions.

MM: With so many aspiring screenwriters out there and just as many screenwriting competitions, what do you think sets Scriptapalooza apart the most? What does your competition offer entrants to make it one of the top contests out there?

MA: I'm comfortable saying that six years ago when we started our competition, no other competition was naming their "established industry production companies." We changed that and started a trend among competitions to state which companies would be receiving the winners' script. Being one of first competitions to do that set us apart immediately.

Now, we have production companies and literary reps coming to us to judge the entrants. Also, we promote the top 13 scripts, three winners and 10 runners-up for a full year. Our sponsor, Write Brothers, creators of award-winning screenwriting software programs, gives the top 30 writers software. Oh, of course, the first place winner gets $10,000-but I think the opportunities offered and doors that are opened are priceless to a writer.

MM: What type of scripts and screenwriters are you most interested in finding?

MA: Since this is a competition, we don't judge on genre, we judge on writing-period.

MM: How does today's writing marketplace differ from the marketplace within which you first opened your doors in 1998? What are some of the biggest changes you've seen in the kinds of films that are getting interest and ultimately getting made?

MA: There seemed to be smaller films, more of the independent-type script. But then again, six years ago our competition received 650 scripts. We see a larger variety of scripts now, and at this point we receive many more scripts.

MM: Do you have any predictions on how the market may change again in the near future?

MA: The future is pretty much determined by regular folks attending movies. If one type of film breaks box office records, then everyone is writing that type of film. The great thing about Scriptapalooza is that we don't have to worry what the latest trend is, because as a competition, we are looking for skilled writers-regardless of genre or budget.

MM: In recent years, there seems to have been a large increase in the number of people out there who are trying to make it as a screenwriter or at least working on an idea for a script. What do you see as the most frequent pitfalls for first-time scribes? For those new to the business, what is the most important piece of advice you would give them about writing a script that gets noticed?

MA: Proofread! Typos and grammatical errors are simply not acceptable when your script is your calling card. Make sure your characters have their own voices. Make sure there is a driving force in the script. Writers should give their buddies a copy of the script and focus on repeated comments and suggestions. Finally: rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

MM: When is your next competition taking place, and how can readers learn more about it?

MA: The next deadline is March 5, 2004 and the final deadline is April 15, 2004. The best way to learn about Scriptapalooza is to go to our Website, read the Q&As, rules and regulations and basically get an overall feel for what we have accomplished for writers in the past five years.

For more information, visit http://www.scriptapalooza.com

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